This invention relates to propellants and more particularly to liquid monopropellants.
Conventional liquid monopropellants contain components that are very corrosive or toxic. Otto fuel II, for instance, contains nitrate esters that are toxic, corrosive, and readily chemically degraded by metal contaminates. Other conventional liquid monopropellants usually contain either (1) hydrazine or its derivatives or (2) hydroxylammonium nitrate or its derivatives which are toxic, corrosive, and readily chemically degraded by metal contaminates. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,057 titled, "Monopropellant Aqueous Hydroxyl Ammonium Nitrate/Fuel," which issued to Kurt F. Mueller et al. on Jun. 29, 1993, discloses monopropellants containing hydroxylammonium nitrate or derivatives there of such as the N-methyl, N-ethyl, O-methyl, or O-ethyl derivatives of hydroxylammonium nitrate.
It would be desirable to provide new liquid monopropellants which do not contain such corrosive and toxic ingredients. However, such new liquid propellants must be relatively inexpensive, energetic, be easy to handle, have low sensitivities, and have a good shelf life.